Testing and Society: Ethical, Legal, and Cultural Considerations

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Testing and Society Ethical, Legal, and Cultural
Considerations

• PSY 614
• Fall 2007
• Instructor Emily E. Bullock, Ph.D.

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Important Terms

• Test Developers people and organizations that
  construct tests
• Test Users people and agencies that select
  testes, administer tests, commission test
  development services, or make decisions on the
  basis of test scores
• From the Code of Fair Testing Practices in
  Education http//www.apa.org/science/FinalCode.pdf
  "

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What Test Users Need to Know According to APAs
Guidelines for Test User Qualifications

• Generic Knowledge and Skills and Specific
  Qualifications for particular types of tests
• Psychometric and Measurement Knowledge
• Descriptive Stats, Reliability Error, Validity,
  Normative Interpretation, Test Administration
  procedures, Test Selection
• Turner et. Al. (2001) APAs Guidelines for Test
  User Qualifications, American Psychologist, 56
  (12), 1099-1113.

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What Test Users Need to Know Test Selection

• Type of keying or scaling used-rational or
  theoretical, empirical
• Scoring procedures
• Type of score interpretation (criterion or domain
  referenced, norm referenced, ipsative)
• Item and Scale score characteristics and format
• Difficulty level
• Reliability
• Validity evidence and type of validity

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What Test Users Need to Know Test Selection

• Test bias
• Description of normative group
• Test administration procedures
• Knowledge of test taker variables that may
  moderate validity and interpretation of scores
• Adequacy of match between test factors and test
  taker factors
• Special requirements and limitations of the test

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What Test Users Need to Know

• Ethnic, Racial, Cultural, Gender, Age, and
  Linguistic Variables
• Testing Individuals with Disabilities
• Supervised Experience

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Test User Qualifications Level of Test

• Level A minimal training required on only the
  test of interest
• Level B Usually requires, Testing Assessment
  coursework, a graduate degree, and some
  supervised experience with assessment
• Level C Usually requires a doctorate in
  Psychology, Education, or related and equivalent
  field

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Testing Standards

• ACA Code of Ethics
• http//www.counseling.org/Resources/CodeOfEthics/T
  P/Home/CT2.aspx
• APA Code of Ethics
• http//www.apa.org/ethics/
• AERAs Standards for Educational and
  Psychological Testing
• www.aera.net

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Legal Issues

• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974
  (FERPA)
• Public Law 107-110 No Child Left Behind Act of
  2001
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
  Act of 1996 (HIPAA)

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Current Issues

• Intelligence Testing
• Tests are gender and culturally biased
• Intelligence tests are not measuring the right
  constructs
• There are genetic differences in intelligence
• Bell Curve
• Testing is an invasion of privacy
• Fair Use of Tests
• Testing in the schools
• Criterion-referenced tests should be used rather
  than norm-referenced tests
• Coaching will help performance on aptitude tests
• We can not rely on diplomas and grades we must
  have demonstration of competencies on objective
  tests
• Every school scores above the median on
  achievement tests. The norms are not valid.
• Athletes should meet the same standards on the
  SAT as other students.
• Multiple-choice tests need to be replaced by
  authentic and performance assessment
• There is too much emphasis on testing and
  teachers teach for the tests
• There is too much pressure on students, teachers,
  and parents because of high-stakes testing, no
  the in approach in schools.